Ex-Canandaigua firefighter charged in Webster

Friday

Jan 31, 2014 at 4:28 PMJan 31, 2014 at 4:28 PM

By Erinn Cain ecain@messengerpostmedia.com

CANANDAIGUA — Canandaigua Fire Chief Mark Marentette described the charging of a former Canandaigua volunteer firefighter following an alleged incident at a fire scene in Webster as “disheartening.”“It’s disheartening because there are a lot of very, very good volunteer firefighters in our department that obviously don’t engage in this kind of behavior,” he said.Christopher Schuldt, of Greece, has been charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, unauthorized use of red and blue lights and failure to change his address with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Other charges are pending, according to the Webster Police Department.Jim Thayer, chief of the Webster Volunteer Fire Department, said his department responded to the scene of a reported fire Jan. 17 on Orchard Street in Webster. Thayer, who was not at the scene, said that when one of the assistant chiefs, Jerry Fedele, arrived, Schuldt reportedly identified himself as a Canandaigua firefighter and asked if he could provide assistance. Police said the assistant fire chief had him set up a road block on part of the road near the fire scene.Police said that when they asked the assistant chief if he knew the man, he said he did not. After further questioning and calling the Canandaigua Fire Department, police said they determined that Schuldt was no longer a firefighter.Police said they also determined that Schuldt was allegedly driving on a suspended driver’s license and not allowed to operate the red and blue lights from his vehicle.Peter Buongiorno, president of the Merrill Hose Volunteer Fire Company in Canandaigua, said Schuldt became a member of the company around the spring of 2010. Volunteer firefighters with the Canandaigua Fire Department have to belong to one of the two companies — Merrill Hose or Erina Hose Company No. 1, he said.“When he was on duty, OK, he was well-dressed and well-mannered,” Buongiorno said. “I was, quite frankly, impressed with the guy.”Buongiorno said Schuldt was active for less than 12 months. When the company stopped hearing from Schuldt, and efforts to contact him were unsuccessful, Buongiorno said he thought he may have moved out of state.Ultimately, Schuldt was relieved of his duties, Buongiorno said.Marentette said that Schuldt had left prior to his becoming chief of the department in March 2011.He said Webster police had contacted him about the alleged incident to verify whether Schuldt was in the Canandaigua department.“I wasn’t surprised when I heard his name because of the previous incidents with him,” Marentette said.He explained that the Canandaigua department had received a complaint from an off-duty firefighter from a department in Monroe County, claiming Schuldt had worn a Canandaigua Fire Department jacket and cut in line at a Best Buy store in Monroe County on Black Friday in 2012.Around the same time, Marentette said, the department was contacted by another off-duty firefighter from Monroe County, who said he had seen Schuldt wearing firefighter turnout pants at a grocery store in Monroe County. The firefighter reported Schuldt said that he was a firefighter with the city of Canandaigua and that he was picking up groceries for his shift, Marentette said.There was no police involvement with either of the alleged incidents, Marentette said.Also around that time, Marentette said, he received a call from another fire department that Schuldt was seeking to join, asking for information about him. Marentette said he had asked the department, in its communication with Schuldt, to request that items issued to him by the city of Canandaigua be returned.Marentette said Schuldt had returned some items.Buongiorno was surprised by the news.“Why would somebody go out, why would you pretend to be a fireman when you’re not?” he said. “ … It is just beyond my comprehension to misrepresent yourself like that.”Schuldt, who could not be reached for comment, is scheduled to appear in Webster Town Court on Feb. 18 to answer the charges.— Includes reporting by Messenger Post news partner News 10NBC